Giving fruits and vegetables to school-age kids just makes intellect

We all know diet and nutrition are directly linked to health, and we’re frequently told we can help make that link by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Yet, as a population, we seem to be getting fatter and unhealthier - a trend that is most disturbing in young people as we see childhood obesity rates march steadily upwards.

South of the border, where obesity rates are evenly troubling, U.S. first lady Michelle Obama has taken up the cause. She recently unveiled a program called Let’s Move, a national public awareness campaign against childhood obesity that focuses on four areas - helping parents make better food choices, serving healthier food options in schools, making healthy food more available and reasonable, and encouraging children to exercise more.

It’s presently being run in two regions in Northern Ontario and is designed to promote awareness and increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables by elementary school kids. The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association looks after buying and distributing fresh fruits and vegetables to northern Ontario schools, and this year, around 12,000 students from more than 60 schools are participating in the program.

Quick pretty chocolate cookies

The most delicious feature about a simple chocolate cookie is its taste and appearance. As it bakes, cracks form in the top of the cookie revealing dark chocolate cracks across the surface of the cookie.

Mix the eggs and the white sugar and mix them well.

- Then add the melted butter and chocolate after they cool down a small. Later add the baking powder, flour, nuts and salt and stir to combine.

- Chill the batter for a few hours or overnight, so that it will be simple to handle for the next step.

- Roll the dough into little balls of 1 to 2 tablespoons of batter each. Then roll each ball of batter across a plate dusted with the confection sugar to cover the complete ball.

- Place each ball on a grease cookies sheet and bake in a slow oven (300 degrees) for 18-20 minutes.

- You want to be careful about discoloration of the confection sugar coating. Check out how the cookies make bigger and crack to give that pretty chocolate design! Serve warm.

Vodka with different special flavors

Humans have been making and drinking alcohol for hundreds of years. But the earliest spirits weren't exactly smooth or even palatable. (Drinkers must have been pretty cold or sweet thirsty to have reached for a glass.) Back in the day, to make drinks tastier our Eastern European comrades began flavoring vodka with anything and everything they could find, including herbs, vegetables and fruits. Just as vodka amplifies flavors in a cocktail, it's the perfect neutral base for making infusions. (It's no wonder liquor store shelves are filled with dozens of different types of vodkas.) But flavoring vodka is incredibly easy and allows you to be wildly creative.

Start by filling a sealable glass jar half-way with seasonal sliced fruit, herbs or vegetables. Try these flavors for different seasons:

Winter: kumquats, Meyer lemons, blood oranges, tangerines and guava.
Spring: cherries, kiwis, strawberries, plums and apricots.
Summer: raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and peaches.
Fall: apples, pears, rhubarb and persimmons.

National Margarita Day

National Margarita Day! - All the drinkers have the reason to go out and celebrates today a glass of Margarita because today is the National Margarita Day.

Margarita is a delicious adult beverage that features tequila, sour mix, and salt. For those that enjoy fruity flavors, other popular margaritas feature fresh or frozen strawberries, pineapple, bananas or other fruits. Once the drink is made, bartenders typically add a ring of salt (or sometimes sugar) to the rim of the margarita glass for even more flavor.

The Margarita drink is what women typically asks for when they’re in a bar having a good time. So to all, Happy National Margarita Day! Cheers!

How do you make a vegetable stock that's as a best as a meat stock?

The main qualities of a good meat stock rich mouthfeel derived from the collagen in the bones and a deep, savory flavor - are the two most complicated things to achieve in a stock made from vegetables alone.

Flavor-wise, the main problem with most vegetable stocks is the cloying sweetness released by the sugars in the vegetables. The best way to balance sweetness is with acidity, we have to add some white wine and tomato paste (which also acts as a thickener).

Try infusing your vegetable stock with a handful of dried up mushrooms after it simmers for an hour. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of cayenne, and you will end up with a vegetable stock that can rival a good meat stock for full-bodied flavor.

Orange juice, sugar prices increase on falling supply

Sugar and orange juice prices rose Tuesday (feb10th) after the Department of Agriculture's most recent report predicted smaller supplies of the crops than previously estimated.

Grains were small changed after the report, which showed supplies for those commodities in line with expectations, said Frank Cholly Sr., a senior market strategist at Lind-Waldock.

The USDA cut its forecast for the 2009-2010 orange harvest by 3 percent from last month's estimation. Freezing temperatures in Florida in early January damaged some of the crop.

Florida produces more than 70 percent of the nation's whole orange crop. Analysts say it might still be months before it is certain how much of the crop was ruined.

The USDA said sugarcane production was down fractionally from its January estimate, but supply was unchanged. Pressure on supply is not probably to improve until April when Brazil's crop starts to get harvested.

Cranberry juice boost up your heart health

Researchers in London calculated the cardio-protective potential of cranberry juice and found it may assist lower blood pressure and help promote heart health.

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London compare with the cardio-protective potential of cranberry juice and that of red wine, cocoa and green tea and found that oligomeric procyanidins were present in regular and light cranberry juice cocktail.

"Red wine has long been associated with heart health, but this new study demonstrates that cranberry juice is a very promising alcohol-free alternative," Corder, author of "The Red Wine Diet," said in a statement. "We have now recognized oligomeric procyanidins as the specific compound in cranberries that can boost the health of blood vessels, helping to prevent blood vessel constriction - a leading cause of high blood pressure."

Valentine’s Day brings ‘sweet lovable treats’

Valentine’s Day, Candies in the form of hearts, flowers and emblems of love adorn most of the treats in nowaday’s candy markets during the holiday. Two businesses in Enterprise ensure their customers have those sweet treats as a romantic gift of love.

The mixture of the history of Valentine’s Day and sweets date back to the 4th century BC when plentiful feasts were arranged to pair men and women.

In the 1800’s, doctors normally suggested that their lovelorn patients eat lots of chocolate to soothe their nerves and calm their emotions. Chocolate and sweets date back in so far as the Aztec empire, and were used in the pursuit of love.

Delectable chocolates Valentine’s Day gift baskets, mugs filled with candies and even Fudge-Mail Valentine’s Day are available as a special touch for the holiday.

Make your party super with a fresh avocado

Fresh avocado cultivation began over 10,000 years ago mostly in tropical areas. Throughout history people has loved eating avocados in many different ways. One of those ways has only been in recent times discovered since the invention of the electric blender.

Slice the fresh avocado lengthwise, wounding around the pit. Twist the halves in opposite directions. Do not take away the pit unless you intend to use the whole avocado at once. Few people even like blending the pit in their smoothie.

A fresh avocado will dim after it has been cut open. Place plastic wrap over any unused portion of the avocado and keep cold. You can also spread lemon juice on the unused half to stop further oxidization. Refrigerate entire avocados only if you want to stop the ripening process.

Benefits:

Avocados offer a generous supply of healthy fats, , alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E.

Few steps for healthier kitchen

1. Shop the perimeter of your home grocery store. Say goodbye to processed foods such as canned goods and frozen meals. These items are frequently very high in sodium and simple carbohydrates.

2. Use clean herbs to add flavor to your cooking rather than salt. Replace butter with olive and vegetable oil, which are together healthier and tastier. Instead of serving butter with bread, try olive oil topped with clean thyme or basil.

3. Stop frying your foods. Baking, broiling and grilling are much healthier options. Great welcome fish and chicken into your diet. While both are low in fat, fish contains omega fatty acids, which are significant in lipid management.

4. Limited red meat and pork. They are higher in fat and speed up the atherosclerosis process, or hardening of the arteries, which lead to heart disease.

5. Enjoy clean fruit for dessert rather than high-calorie options like cake or ice cream.

6. If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to one drink per day (12 oz. beer, 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits or 4 oz. glass of wine).

How to make sweeter without Sugar

Although the only actual solution is to wean yourself off sweets altogether (at least to a degree) there are other ways to quiet your sweet tooth without going the refined sugar route. Here are a few ideas, many of which are huge for baking.

Honey Made up of a combination of fructose, maltose, glucose, and sucrose, honey is as much as 50% sweeter than sugar and has an individual flavor that can vary depending on location, time of year, and the bee’s diet. Honeys also offer some nutritional benefits in the form of vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, and other nutrients.

Maple Syrup actual maple syrup contains magnesium and zinc and comes from sugar maple trees. It's boiled down to the desired thickness and is typically about 60% sweeter than traditional table sugar.

Raw Sugar If you must have sugar then go for raw sugar, or sugar that has not been refined and still maintains its nutritional cost. Tastes very much like brown sugar (basically it is, although even less processed).